Study found not essential in non-cancer surgery

Published 6:24 pm, Thursday, January 21, 2016

NEW HAVEN >> It is not always necessary to remove the ovaries during non-cancer-related hysterectomies, a Yale School of Medicine study has found.

While the ovaries often are removed to help prevent ovarian cancer, most such cancers actually start in the fallopian tubes and removing them while preserving the ovaries will help keep hormone levels normal, according to a release.

Removing the ovaries can bring on surgical menopause, which can harm cardiovascular, bone, cognitive and sexual health, according to the release.

The study, led by professor Xiao Xu in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, found that removing the fallopian tubes alone was the preferable option.

“We found that among women undergoing inpatient hysterectomies in 2012 who were at low risk for ovarian cancer, very few of them received bilateral salpingectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes) with preservation of the ovaries,” said Xu in the release. “The rate of bilateral salpingectomy with ovarian conservation was 5.9 percent in this population.”

Looking at data from 744 hospitals, some never preserved the ovaries during hysterectomies, while others did so up to 72 percent of the time, Xu found.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended removal of the fallopian tubes while preserving the ovaries in a 2015 report.

The study by Xu and Dr. Vrunda Bhavsar Desai was published in the February issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.